The Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police and the Ohio Prosecuting Attorneys Association opposed the bill, but the Buckeye State Sheriffs' Association supported it. Critics argued that the bill may endanger students. Supporters said it could help prevent mass shootings or similar attacks.

Currently, 23 states allow their college and universities to decide whether to allow concealed weapons on campus, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. It reports that Utah is the only state that specifically prohibits its colleges from banning concealed carry.

The bill was sponsored by Republican state Rep. Ron Maag of Lebanon, in southwestern Ohio.

Last week, 18-year-old Somali-born student Abdul Razak Ali Artan drove his car into a crowd on the campus of Ohio State University in Columbus and went on a stabbing rampage before a police officer shot and killed him.

Investigators have said Artan was inspired by Islamic State propaganda, but they were still investigating the claim by the terrorist group that it had recruited him.